Bad servo on Ryft?

Welcome to RCTalk

Come join other RC enthusiasts! You'll be able to discuss, share and private message with other members of our community.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

AdMiller86

RCTalk Member
Messages
32
Reaction score
16
Took my Ryft out for quick rip. The steering is pretty unresponsive. When ther front wheels aren’t under stress, lifted off the ground, it works as it should, sit back down and the wheels will not move. Before I sped time and money on a steering servo that isn’t needed, is the servo the problem??
 
RTR kit servo's don't usually last that long because they use cheaper servo's.
You can plug the servo into another channel on your receiver and try it.
Chances are, you might need a new servo.
 
RTR kit servo's don't usually last that long because they use cheaper servo's.
You can plug the servo into another channel on your receiver and try it.
Chances are, you might need a new servo.
That’s what I’m leaning towards, what would be a good replacement??
 
Welcome to RCT!

I have a Tekin servo in our Ryft. They are pretty pricey, but hard to beat. Very nice servos. I typicaly stick with Savox or Hitec servos for most builds. But basically, for the Ryft, you want something with loads of torque. It has huge tires with a bit of scrub steer to deal with, so you need someting with some power. After that look at the speed. I generally try to stay close to .12 or lower on the speed rating.

One thing to note is servos can handle varying voltages. Some can only handle 6v, 7.4v, or some can take up to 8.4v for example. So if you want the most out of your servo, like say you buy one that can handle 8.4v, you're going to need an external BEC like the Castle 10A BEC.
 
FWIW, I have been burned by SAVOX with too many failures... it would be fine if just their gears stripped but their electronic boards will fail over time. I once asked them to repair a servo that was outside their warranty but they said there was no repair center and they told me to buy a new servo and send in the receipt along with the old servo for free warranty replacement. Then they refuse to honor their promise because I bought the servo from a non-approved vendor (this wasn't disclosed over the phone conversation) ... facepalm ... SAVOX has since lost me as a customer and have found far better quality servos which I've referenced earlier :)

I have heard nothing but good things about TEKIN and HITEC, but no personal experience with those brands.
 
I have a savox micro servo in my mini b. Have yet to test it out yet. In my 1/10 buggy I am using a Xpert servo. Pretty good servo. My uncle has been using xpert servos for over 7 years. https://www.amainhobbies.com/xpert-...uminum-center-case-servo-xptsi-4431/p276593?1
I am going to check my BEC voltage. Maybe I can get more torque / speed out of it. At my local carpet track, it isn't that big of a track and doesn't have enough to turn tight turns/corners.
 
FWIW, I have been burned by SAVOX with too many failures... it would be fine if just their gears stripped but their electronic boards will fail over time. I once asked them to repair a servo that was outside their warranty but they said there was no repair center and they told me to buy a new servo and send in the receipt along with the old servo for free warranty replacement. Then they refuse to honor their promise because I bought the servo from a non-approved vendor (this wasn't disclosed over the phone conversation) ... facepalm ... SAVOX has since lost me as a customer and have found far better quality servos which I've referenced earlier :)

I have heard nothing but good things about TEKIN and HITEC, but no personal experience with those brands.
I have never had a Savox servo fail, and you're the first person I have ever heard say they did. I've been using them for many years.
 
I have never had a Savox servo fail, and you're the first person I have ever heard say they did. I've been using them for many years.
I am not the only person who has had problems with SAVOX in my area, there are a handful of other racers who won't touch SAVOX (and many other brands) as well after being disappointed. We race on a large covered 1/8 track with big air and very high grip which tends to push the limits on our servos. At one point I had 6 SAVOX servos for each of the 6 classes I raced simply because they were leading brand in the industry at the time. I continued to race with them after SAVOX burned me, but I would switch to various other brands as each of those 6 servos failed over time. A couple years ago I was in a pinch with failures from AGFrc (more info here) and I was forced to buy a SAVOX SB2290SG because that's all the local hobby shop had in stock at the track and I wanted to continue racing the mains that day. Sure enough that servo failed within a few months, facepalm... I've literally had a 100% fail rate of every single SAVOX servo I've ever bought :(
 
AdMiller86 , your post reminds me of almost every RTR owner and their disappointments with their newly purchased RC(s). The servo is probably the first thing that gets talked about, and the first thing to get replaced. Manufacturers are wheelin' and dealin' with radio/servo/ESC/motor companies to get lowest cost electronics for their RC RTR packages. Keeping a RTR price down to attract people is the number one goal. I believe manufacturers understand there is no point in putting "good stuff" in a RTR RC package... most people would not buy a very well equipped RTR, because they are only looking at price tag.


And then comes the point of what is done to RTRs to best get some type of usable durability from the under whelming electronics that are put in a ready to run package... as you, @AdMiller86, have found out. Yes, it'll steer... when the RC is in motion 🤷‍♂️ 😁🤦‍♂️
 
Last edited:
AdMiller86 , your post reminds me of almost every RTR owner and their disappointments with their newly purchased RC(s). The servo is probably the first thing that gets talked about, and the first thing to get replaced. Manufacturers are wheelin' and dealin' with radio/servo/ESC/motor companies to get lowest cost electronics for their RC RTR packages. Keeping a RTR price down to attract people is the number one goal. I believe manufacturers understand there is no point in putting "good stuff" in a RTR RC package... most people would not buy a very well equipped RTR, because they are only looking at price tag.


And then comes the point of what is done to RTRs to best get some type of usable durability from the under whelming electronics that are put in a ready to run package... as you, @AdMiller86, have found out. Yes, it'll steer... when the RC is in motion 🤷‍♂️ 😁🤦‍♂️
Oh I wasn’t disappointed, as I have a a couple of scx24s that I’ve had to replace the servos, batteries and motors on but with the hop ups and weights I was expecting that ha. As for our redcat gen7s, both servo horns have been replaced, all four stock plastic diffs have been replaced with metal ones. This is just part of it with this hobby. My other hobby, competitive archery is the same way, the more you use it, the more wear and tear you put on it and there’s almost always something to tinker with and replace. I’m just not real familiar with what happens when certain parts fail. I bought a hobbystar servo last night and had it back up and going in roughly 30mins. The guys at the shop said the servo is normally the first thing in those to fail. One of them is trying to convince me to change everything up and make a crawler out of it. The biggest problem I’ve seen YouTube channels have with them is loss of bind and it’s a real pain in the ass to get to the receiver. I’m hoping to take it out a really bash in the woods on the trails today 🤣🤣🤣
 
Back
Top